OK to start a hive in LA in July? …and other newbie questions

[Elliot Mebane]

I’m a newbie. I want to start a hive. I’ve done some reading on the basics. Questions:

1) Is this a high-maintenance activity, or can I set it and forget it? I believe there are people who do all the maintenance and harvesting for a share of the honey. That would be great. I don’t want to start a time consuming hobby that requires a lot of attention. What kind of time requirements are involved?
2) Similarly, what kind of hive requires the least attention? It seems there are top-bar hives and stacking hives. Is either option easier to maintain?
3) I read that Summer is not the time to start a hive. Does that hold true for LA or can a hive be started at any time due to our climate?
4) My interest was piqued by locating an impromptu hive that was started in a small subterranean roadside utility box. I’ve wanted a hive for a while and saving this one from extermination would be great. Does the queen have to be manually removed or can this hive be relocated by other means?
5) I have a ground-level shaded spot under a lemon tree and a rooftop that receives full sun. I prefer the rooftop, but I understand full sun should be avoided. My Culver City location is fairly temperate. Should a rooftop location be avoided?
6) Are there any Culver City permitting requirements or other restrictions I should know about?

Thanks in-advance for your input!

[susan rudnicki]

Elliot—thanks for your articulate questions. However, it would probably be easier to answer these in person on the phone. I live in Manhattan Beach and have 8 Langstroth hives. I mentor quite a few folks. Also, you should make a strong effort to attend the HL meetings—there is one this Sunday. Call me at 310-374-4779 Susan

[elisha browns]

Hello,dod Susan answer all of your questiones or do you still have some?

God Bless,
Elisha

[Elliot Mebane]

Thanks to Susan for taking some time out to answer my questions over the phone. For others looking for introductory info, here’s some of what I learned from my call with Susan:

1) This an activity that requires maintenance. You don’t just kick it off and then harvest honey at the end of the production cycles. In the Spring, checking on the hive every few weeks is needed. Other times of the year require less frequent checking. You’re looking for signs the bees are going to swarm soon, and you’re looking for signs the queen and brood remain healthy. Yes, there are people who do maintenance and harvesting and will take a share of the honey as part or all of their compensation.

2) Both hive types (Top-Bar and Langstroth) require similar attention, however Top-Bar has an advantage in that you don’t have to un-stack the levels in order to check them all. Top-Bar hives are made of one long level with hanging combs that extend from one end to the other. To inspect them you just remove the roof then pull out each bar and comb to inspect it.

3) Most books on raising bees don’t focus on the CA area. Starting a hive any time in CA is fine. Mites aren’t really a problem around here.

4) Someone experienced should do the hive removal in the subterranean utility box I mentioned. When re-homing a hive, the combs can be saved and placed into frames of a hive to save the bees the labor and energy of re-creating the comb in their new destination hive. I think Susan said bees consume about 4 lbs. of honey to create 1 lb. of comb.

5) An optimal location would be sunny in the morning to stimulate the bees to get out and start working early. Dappled sun is best. In a hot environment, they will park themselves outside the hive if necessary to keep the hive at the right temperature.

6) We didn’t discuss permits, but Susan cautioned about a swarming hive being an irritant to neighbors that should be avoided.

Other:
— An elevated hive is always best to deter ground-based pests, like ants. You can coat the legs of a hive stand with tanglefoot to stop ants.
— You can aim a hive to suggest to the bees a preferred path, although they fly up and overhead within about 5′ of the hive.
— Combs in a Top-Bar hive hang from a horizontal bar. The combs are only attached to the top bar, while a Langstroth hive’s frames have 4 sides and the comb connects to 3 of the sides. Langstroth frames are easier to handle without breaking the comb off the frame. Top-Bar hives have a 22 degree slope to their sides because that has been found to be the angle that will discourage bees from attaching their comb to the sides of the hive. Pictures of the bars in a Top-Bar hive show a little rib running the length of the bar. The bees use this as a starter point to hang the comb from. It is made of wood, not honeycomb.
— Harvesting with a centrifugal harvester is better than the method that involves crushing the comb. The comb can be returned to the hive after the honey is extracted and the bees will clean it up and re-use it, saving them the effort of reconstructing it from scratch.
— Getting your bees from a wild/feral local source is better than a mail order source. A locally-sourced brood will have more natural resistance to the disease in your area. There are a lot of rescued bee broods in our area. During peak season, sometimes several hives are re-homed in a single day.
— Susan recommends the book: Idiot’s Guide to Beekeeping.
— Supplementary feeding of bees with honey is better than sugar water because honey (their natural food) has a much lower PH than sugar water. The good/bad microbes in their bodies may be thrown out of proper balance if they eat food with the wrong PH.

[Nick Forys]

I’m exactly in your situation. What are you planning on doing now? I’m getting books from the library.

[Author]

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